3. #ConstrainedByTheClassroom : The Terrain Is Everything

The Kids Began To See It For Themselves.

Kibbs Fortilus

Jan 09, 2026

January 8th, 2026
9:52 PM
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3. #ConstrainedByTheClassroom : The Terrain Is Everything

“The terrain is everything; the germ is nothing.”

— Louis Pasteur

This post will pivot around the question :

Are we modeling what we are expecting from our kids?

A few facts to begin :

— “Approximately 45 million U.S. adults are functionally illiterate, reading below a fifth-grade level.”

— “21% of U.S. adults are classified as functionally illiterate, unable to complete basic reading tasks.”

— “About 130 million U.S. adults (54% of those aged 16–74) read below a sixth-grade level, according to modeled estimates.”

Again :

Are we modeling what we are expecting from our kids?

When I was in high school, I was in a program called “Upward Bound”, based in Northfield Mount Herman boarding school. While there, I met my mentor, who still mentors me to this day — 20 years later. Jay made it a point to not only go to the gym every morning before teaching class, but to be the first one at the breakfast table with a book in hand, to model the importance of being literate.

Again I ask :

Are we modeling what we are expecting from our kids?

The prospect of traveling abroad seemed unreal to the students that I mentored. Therefore, to model the dream for them, I began by showing them the “See The World To Change The World” fundraising campaign that Jay helped me craft to travel to India after my Bachelor’s degree. From there, I showed the students the pictures of my journey in India, and the most incredible thing would happen …